There's a real humanity in this Martin Parr portrait that Stephen Shore took in New York
The photography pioneer trains his lens on the former Magnum president and creator of new book Only Human
Our new book by Martin Parr focuses on the photographer’s most enduring subject: people. Only Human – published to coincide both with Parr's 2019 exhibition at London's National Portrait Gallery and the moment in which the UK may leave the EU – examines what it means to be human at a time of both change and retrospection.
There are shots of famous figures such as Grayson Perry and Vivienne Westwood, as well as plenty of artfully observed unknowns, snapped all over the world, as well as plenty of self-portraits (or ‘autoportraits’ as Parr puts it). There’s even his take on an online dating profile for himself (it's just for fun - Martin has been happily married for nearly 30 years).
However, it’s rare to see another world class photographer turning his lens on the Magnum photographer. So, we were pleased to see this photo pop up on Stephen Shore’s Instagram. Stephen is an equally accomplished photographer, with a legendarily sensitive feel when catpuring place. His portrait of Martin, shot in New York City, captures a warmth and approachability at odds with Martin's arms-folded pose.
To see many more of Martin’s shots, and to get the opportunity to buy a signed copy of Only Human go here. For more of Stephen’s work, go here.